Democrats For Life Urges Pro-Life Democratic Senator Bob Casey to Withdraw Support for Planned Parenthood Abortion Business

Support funding, instead, of organizations that provide comprehensive health care for women.

WASHINGTON, DC – Democrats For Life of America is urging Senator Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania to reconsider his support for Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. The profitable $1.2 billion-per-year organization performed more than 300,000 abortions last year. It is currently under investigation for selling body parts, including hearts, lungs and livers, of children whom they have aborted.

“As supporters of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), we share Senator Casey’s commitment to provide access to comprehensive health care, including access to family planning,” said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America. “But the suggestion that Planned Parenthood is the number-one one health care provider for women is a gross misrepresentation.”

There are approximately 158 million women in the U.S. While Planned Parenthood claims to be the leading health care provider for women, it does not provide comprehensive health care services for women, nor is it the leading provider. Planned Parenthood serves between 1 percent and 2 percentof American women. The primary services offered by Planned Parenthood are STD tests and contraception, which together constitute 76 percent of services. Prenatal support is listed as less than 1 percent. (Source: Planned Parenthood’s 2014 Annual Report.) Women’s health care is complex and goes well beyond access to contraception, STD tests, or abortion. The top health concerns for women include heart disease, diabetes, and cancer—none of which Planned Parenthood addresses in its activities.

“Senator Casey has been a leading advocate for pregnant women and new mothers. We were proud to work with him to pass the Pregnancy Assistance Fund because more support to carry a child to term is a key component to lowering the abortion rate,” said Day. “However, aligning with Planned Parenthood is akin to supporting abortion, given the organization’s increasing market share in the abortion industry. There are a multitude of non-violent health care alternatives that opponents of abortion and supporters of Title X funds can and should support.”

There are more than 13,000 health care clinics that provide comprehensive health care for women and families—vastly surpassing Planned Parenthood’s 650 clinics. In each of 31 states, there are ten or fewer Planned Parenthood clinics. There are more Community Health Centers (CHCs) in California alone than the total number of Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. The ACA, supported by Senator Casey and DFLA, provided funding to expand the number of CHCs. Since 2010, more than 700 new facilities have been built to provide comprehensive services to women and families. The CHCs provide more complete health services than Planned Parenthood, including mammograms and prenatal care. They also provide contraception. CHCs serve more than 23 million individuals and families, regardless of ability to pay. Women in rural areas, in particular, are more likely to have access to a Community Health Center, given that the centers target communities in need. Planned Parenthood facilities tend to be located in or near high-populated cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago.

“Senator Casey, like most Americans, has been given inaccurate information about the scope of health care services provided by Planned Parenthood,” said Day. “We now know the truth. It’s time to look out for the best interests of women and their children by ensuring that federal funding is allocated to organizations that provide comprehensive health care for women.”

Eight videos have been released showing Planned Parenthood doctors discussing selling or “donating for a fee” human body parts from aborted fetuses. In one video, a Planned Parenthood doctor discusses changing the kind of abortion procedure the organization performs so as to “preserve the specimen” or prevent crushing the organs, such as the liver or heart. The most recent video includes testimony about harvesting organs from a living fetus. Although Planned Parenthood denies selling body parts for profit, the questions and doubts about the legality and medical ethics surrounding this practice are continuing to escalate. The very fact that organs can be harvested belies the myth that abortions are performed on “blobs of tissue.”

“The Planned Parenthood videos clearly portray the humanity of the unborn and have served as a wake-up call to Americans, rallying them to take to the streets in huge numbers to speak out,” said Day. “Even the abortion doctor who exclaims, ‘It’s another boy’ recognizes that humanity. Pro-life Democratic Senator Casey should be on the forefront of this battle, neither defending nor advocating for the nation’s largest abortion business. Democrats don’t defend corporate welfare, particularly when that corporation is harming our most vulnerable children.”